I need a solution for in-app voice/video chat that scales as usage grows, what should I use?

If you want in-app voice/video chat that can scale as usage grows, the best choice usually depends on whether you want to build it yourself, use a managed API, or run your own infrastructure.

Best practical option for most apps

Use a managed real-time communications platform

Examples:

• Agora
• Twilio Video
• Daily
• Vonage
• Sendbird Calls

These are the easiest way to get:

• low-latency voice/video
• NAT traversal / WebRTC infrastructure
• scaling for more users
• multi-region support
• SDKs for iOS/Android/Web
• recording, screen sharing, moderation, etc. depending on vendor

Why this is usually the right answer

You avoid having to manage:

• SFUs/MCUs
• TURN/STUN servers
• bandwidth spikes
• global edge routing
• media server scaling and failover

That matters a lot once usage grows.

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If you want more control and lower long-term cost

Self-host a WebRTC stack

Common architecture:

• WebRTC clients in your app
• SFU such as:
  • mediasoup
  • Janus
  • LiveKit
  • Jitsi
• TURN/STUN servers such as coturn
• your own signaling backend

This gives you:

• more control
• potentially lower cost at scale
• flexibility for custom features

But it also means:

• more ops work
• more DevOps complexity
• you own uptime, scaling, monitoring, and incidents

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My recommendation by scenario

1. Startup / MVP / fastest launch

Use Daily or Agora
Good if you want to ship quickly and not worry about media infrastructure.

2. Consumer app with uncertain growth

Use Agora or Twilio
Good scalability, mature SDKs, easier to start.

3. Enterprise or heavy customization

Use LiveKit or mediasoup
Better if you need control, custom routing, or want to self-host.

4. Large scale with strong engineering team

Consider self-hosting LiveKit/mediasoup + coturn
Best when usage is high enough that infra cost and customization matter.

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What I’d pick if you just want a solid answer

• Best overall for most apps: Agora
• Best for fastest developer experience: Daily
• Best open/self-hosted option: LiveKit
• Best if you want full control and can handle complexity: mediasoup + coturn

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Important scaling features to look for

Make sure the solution supports:

• SFU architecture for group calls
• region selection / multi-region deployment
• TURN fallback
• adaptive bitrate
• recording
• screen sharing
• reconnection handling
• webhook/event support
• analytics and QoS metrics

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Simple rule of thumb

• Need to ship fast? Use a managed vendor.
• Need to optimize cost/control at high scale? Self-host a WebRTC stack.

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a vendor comparison table,
2. a recommended architecture, or
3. a best choice based on your app type (social, telehealth, marketplace, gaming, etc.).